China's Feb crude imports up 7.9 pct -source

BEIJING, March 14 (Reuters) China imported 11.17 million tonnes of crude oil in February, a source with access to customs data told Reuters on Tuesday, implying a 7.9 percent rise from February 2005.

The world's second biggest oil consumer imported 24.40 million tonnes of crude oil in the first two months of the year, up 34.3 percent from the same period of last year. This included a record 13.23 million tonnes in January.

Imports of refined oil products fell 8.1 percent in the first two months of the year to 5.12 million tones. Imports for February were 2.5 million tonnes, but no comparison was given.

REUTERS SR PM1853